Method for examining an object using an x-ray recording system for phase contrast imaging with stochastic phase scanning

ABSTRACT

A method, for examining an object using an X-ray recording system, includes during an X-ray image recording, moving components relative to one another with the lateral displacement by displacement distances. The method includes generating the X-ray image recording during the displacement from n partial images, so that the total exposure time of the X-ray image recording is made up from a sum of partial exposure times. In each of the partial images, the intensity is determined in each pixel. The position of the second component relative to the first component is determined for each recording of the partial images. Finally, the image information is determined from the partial images and the displacements.

PRIORITY STATEMENT

The present application hereby claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to German patent application number DE 102013219553.2 filed Sep. 27, 2013, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

At least one embodiment of the invention generally relates to a method for examining an object using an X-ray recording system for phase contrast imaging with at least one X-ray emitter for generating a quasi-coherent X-ray beam as a first component, an X-ray image detector with pixel elements arranged in a matrix, a diffraction or phase grating which is arranged between the object and the X-ray image detector, and an analyzer grating associated with the phase grating for generating an intensity pattern or interference pattern.

BACKGROUND

In commercially available X-ray diagnostic devices, equipment for X-ray imaging, the components such as for example X-ray tube, X-ray image detector, etc. can move relative to one another during the image recording by lateral shift or displacement distances smaller than the pixel size, without thereby significantly affecting the image information and image resolution. These innocuous displacements created by movement lie in the range of ten to a few hundred micrometers.

In contrast, displacements of the magnitude of the grating period, which typically measure only a few micrometers, produce a dramatic deterioration in the image information in a Talbot-Lau apparatus. This results in considerable demands on mechanical stability if a conventional X-ray system is to be upgraded into a Talbot-Lau apparatus which uses the method described above to determine the image information.

For a C-arm X-ray recording device there is the particular difficulty that the X-ray tube and X-ray detector are located at the ends of a C-arm, permitting vibrational motions which can result in lateral mechanical displacements of the two components of approx. a hundred micrometers.

In the Talbot-Lau apparatus for X-ray phase contrast imaging, as described for example by Georg Pelzer et al. in “Energy-resolved interferometric X-ray imaging”, published in Proc. SPIE 8668, Medical Imaging 2013: Physics of Medical Imaging, (Mar. 19, 2013) pages 866851 ff., the gratings G₀, G₁ and G₂ are mounted on a fixed rack. By means of a controlled lateral displacement of one of these gratings Goto G₂ in fractions of the grating period, for example by a piezo-stepper, an intensity distribution is scanned (phase stepping), from which the image variables absorption, phase displacement and dark field can be calculated.

An X-ray recording system, with which differential phase contrast imaging of the type mentioned in the introduction can be performed, is known for example from U.S. Pat. No. 7,500,784 B2, which is explained on the basis of FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 shows the typical essential features of an X-ray recording system for an interventional suite with a C-arm 2 held by a stand 1 in the form of a six-axis industrial or articulated robot, with an X-ray source, for example an X-ray emitter 3 with X-ray tube and collimator, and an X-ray image detector 4 being attached to the ends of said C-arm 2 as an image recording unit.

By way of the articulated robot known for example from U.S. Pat. No. 7,500,784 B2, which preferably has six axes of rotation and thus six degrees of freedom, the C-arm 2 can be adjusted spatially as required, being rotated for example about a center of rotation between the X-ray emitter 3 and the X-ray detector 4. The inventive angiographic X-ray system 1 to 4 is rotatable in particular about centers of rotation and axes of rotation on the C-arm plane of the X-ray image detector 4, preferably about the center point of the X-ray image detector 4 and about axes of rotation intersecting the center point of the X-ray image detector 4.

The known articulated robot has a baseframe which for example is permanently mounted on a base. To this a carousel is rotatably attached about a first axis of rotation. Attached to the carousel so as to pivot about a second axis of rotation is a robot rocker arm, to which is fixed a robot arm which can rotate about a third axis of rotation. A robot hand is attached at the end of the robot arm, so as to rotate about a fourth axis of rotation. The robot hand has a fixing element for the C-arm 2, which can pivot about a fifth axis of rotation and can rotate about a sixth axis of rotation extending perpendicular thereto.

The implementation of the X-ray diagnostic device is not dependent on the industrial robot. Normal C-arm devices can also be used.

The X-ray image detector 4 can be a rectangular or square, flat semiconductor detector that is preferably made of amorphous silicon (a-Si). Integrating and possibly counting CMOS detectors can also be used, however.

Located in the beam path of the X-ray emitter 3 on a tabletop 5 of a patient positioning couch is a patient 6 to be examined, as an examination object. On the X-ray diagnostic device a system control unit 7 is connected to a high-voltage generator for generating the tube voltage and to an image system 8 which receives and processes the image signals from the X-ray image detector 4 (operating elements are not shown, for example). The X-ray images can then be viewed on displays of a monitor bracket 10 held by means of a ceiling-mounted support system 9 which can travel lengthwise, pivot and rotate, and is height-adjustable. Also provided in the system control unit 7 is a processing circuit 11, the function of which is further described below.

Instead of the X-ray system illustrated by way of example in FIG. 1 with the stand 1 in the form of the six-axis industrial or articulated robot, the angiographic X-ray system can, as shown in a simplified manner in FIG. 2, also have a normal ceiling- or floor-mounted bracket for the C-arm 2.

Instead of the C-arm 2 shown by way of example, the angiographic X-ray system can also have separate ceiling- and/or floor-mounted brackets for the X-ray emitter 3 and the X-ray image detector 4, which for example are electronically fixedly coupled.

In the arrangements currently being focused on for clinical phase contrast imaging, conventional X-ray tubes, currently available X-ray image detectors, as described for example by Martin Spahn [2] in “Flat detectors and their clinical applications”, Eur Radiol, Vol. 15, pages 1934 to 1947, and three gratings G₀, G₁ and G₂ are used, as explained in greater detail below on the basis of FIG. 2, which shows a schematic structure of a Talbot-Lau interferometer for differential phase contrast imaging with expanded tube focus, gratings G₀, G₁ and G₂, and a pixelated X-ray image detector 4.

To generate coherent radiation the X-ray beam 13 exiting from a tube focus 12 of the non-coherent X-ray emitter 3 penetrates an absorption grating 14 (G₀), which produces spatial coherence of the X-ray source, as well as an examination object 15, for example the patient 6.

Because of the examination object 15 the wave front of the X-ray beam 13, which is represented by its normal 16, is deflected by phase displacement, as is made clear by the normal 17 of the wave front without phase displacement, i.e. without an object, and the normal 18 of the wave front with phase displacement. Then the phase-displaced wave front passes through a diffraction or phase grating 19 (G₁) with a grating constant adjusted to the typical energy of the X-ray spectrum for generating interference lines or interference patterns 20, and in turn an absorbent analyzer grating 21 (G₂) for reading out and capturing the interference pattern 20 generated. The grating constant of the analyzer grating 21 is adjusted to that of the phase grating 19 and of the remaining geometry of the Talbot-Lau arrangement. The analyzer grating 21 is arranged e.g. at the first or n-th Talbot distance. The analyzer grating 21 here converts the interference pattern 20 into an intensity pattern, which can be measured by the X-ray image detector 4. Typical grating constants for clinical applications are in the order of a few μm, as can also be inferred for example from the cited reference [1].

If the tube focus 12 of the beam source is sufficiently small and the radiation output generated is nevertheless sufficiently large, it may be possible to dispense with the first grating G₀, the absorption grating 14, as is the case if for example a plurality of field emission X-ray sources is provided as an X-ray emitter 3, as is known from DE 10 2010 018 715 A1 which is described below.

The differential phase displacement is now determined for each pixel element of the X-ray image detector 4 in that using so-called “phase stepping” 22, which is indicated by an arrow, the analyzer grating 21 G₂ is displaced in several steps by a corresponding fraction of the grating constant perpendicular to the normal 16 of the wave front of the X-ray beam 13 or 17 and laterally to the arrangement of the grating structure, and the signal S_(k) arising for this configuration during the recording is measured in the pixel of the X-ray image detector 4 and thus the resultant interference pattern 20 is scanned. For each pixel element the parameters of a function (e.g. sine function) describing the modulation are determined by a suitable fit procedure, an adjustment or equalization procedure, to the thus measured signals S_(k). The visibility, i.e. the standardized difference between maximum and minimum signal, is here a measurement for characterizing the quality of a Talbot-Lau interferometer. It is defined as a contrast of the scanned modulation

$V = {\frac{I_{{ma}\; x} - I_{m\; i\; n}}{I_{{ma}\; x} + I_{m\; i\; n}} = \frac{A}{\overset{\_}{I}}}$

In this equation A further designates the amplitude and Ī the average intensity. The visibility can assume values between zero and one, since all variables are positive and I_(max)>I_(min). In a real interferometer it is also the case that I_(min)>0, so that the value range of V is expediently exploited. Minimum intensities greater than zero and all non-ideal properties and shortcomings of the interferometer result in a reduction in the visibility. A third item of information, which can be defined by way of the visibility and is generated by this mode of measurement, is designated as the dark field. The dark field indicates the ratio between the visibilities of measurement with an object and those without an object.

$D = {\frac{V_{obj}}{V_{ref}} = \frac{A_{obj} \cdot {\overset{\_}{I}}_{ref}}{A_{ref} \cdot {\overset{\_}{I}}_{obj}}}$

Three different images can then be generated from the comparison of particular derived variables from the fitted functions for each pixel, once with and once without an object (or patient):

(i) absorption image, (ii) differential phase contrast image (DPC) and (iii) dark field image.

SUMMARY

At least one embodiment of the invention is directed to an examination method, such that active phase stepping with a piezo-stepper is no longer required and the phase stepping curve is not blurred or smoothed despite displacements.

Advantageous embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

At least one embodiment of the invention is directed to an X-ray recording system comprising:

-   -   X-ray image detector, phase grating and/or analyzer grating are         fixedly connected together and form a second component,     -   during an X-ray image recording the components are moved         relative to one another with lateral displacement by         displacement distances,     -   the X-ray image recording during the displacement is created         from n partial images, so that the total exposure time of the         X-ray image recording consists of a sum of partial exposure         times,     -   in each of the partial images the intensity is determined in         each pixel,     -   the position of the component K2 relative to the component K1 is         determined for each recording of the partial images and     -   the image information is determined from the partial images and         the displacements.         This means that the subdivision of the X-ray image recording         results in imaging with stochastic phase scanning.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described below in more detail on the basis of example embodiments shown in the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a known C-arm angiographic system of an X-ray diagnostic device with an industrial robot as a support apparatus,

FIG. 2 a schematic structure of a known Talbot-Lau interferometer for differential phase contrast imaging and

FIG. 3 a schematic structure of an inventive arrangement of a Talbot-Lau interferometer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Various example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which only some example embodiments are shown. Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative for purposes of describing example embodiments. The present invention, however, may be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only the example embodiments set forth herein.

Accordingly, while example embodiments of the invention are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit example embodiments of the present invention to the particular forms disclosed. On the contrary, example embodiments are to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description of the figures.

Before discussing example embodiments in more detail, it is noted that some example embodiments are described as processes or methods depicted as flowcharts. Although the flowcharts describe the operations as sequential processes, many of the operations may be performed in parallel, concurrently or simultaneously. In addition, the order of operations may be re-arranged. The processes may be terminated when their operations are completed, but may also have additional steps not included in the figure. The processes may correspond to methods, functions, procedures, subroutines, subprograms, etc.

Methods discussed below, some of which are illustrated by the flow charts, may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware or microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks will be stored in a machine or computer readable medium such as a storage medium or non-transitory computer readable medium. A processor(s) will perform the necessary tasks.

Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative for purposes of describing example embodiments of the present invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments of the present invention. As used herein, the term “and/or,” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected,” or “coupled,” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected,” or “directly coupled,” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between,” versus “directly between,” “adjacent,” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the terms “and/or” and “at least one of” include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Portions of the example embodiments and corresponding detailed description may be presented in terms of software, or algorithms and symbolic representations of operation on data bits within a computer memory. These descriptions and representations are the ones by which those of ordinary skill in the art effectively convey the substance of their work to others of ordinary skill in the art. An algorithm, as the term is used here, and as it is used generally, is conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of optical, electrical, or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

In the following description, illustrative embodiments may be described with reference to acts and symbolic representations of operations (e.g., in the form of flowcharts) that may be implemented as program modules or functional processes include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types and may be implemented using existing hardware at existing network elements. Such existing hardware may include one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific-integrated-circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) computers or the like.

Note also that the software implemented aspects of the example embodiments may be typically encoded on some form of program storage medium or implemented over some type of transmission medium. The program storage medium (e.g., non-transitory storage medium) may be magnetic (e.g., a floppy disk or a hard drive) or optical (e.g., a compact disk read only memory, or “CD ROM”), and may be read only or random access. Similarly, the transmission medium may be twisted wire pairs, coaxial cable, optical fiber, or some other suitable transmission medium known to the art. The example embodiments not limited by these aspects of any given implementation.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise, or as is apparent from the discussion, terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or “determining” of “displaying” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device/hardware, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical, electronic quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, term such as “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly.

Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, it should be understood that these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another region, layer, or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

An embodiment of the invention is directed to an X-ray recording system comprising:

-   -   X-ray image detector, phase grating and/or analyzer grating are         fixedly connected together and form a second component,     -   during an X-ray image recording the components are moved         relative to one another with lateral displacement by         displacement distances,     -   the X-ray image recording during the displacement is created         from a partial images, so that the total exposure time of the         X-ray image recording consists of a sum of partial exposure         times,     -   in each of the partial images the intensity is determined in         each pixel,     -   the position of the component K2 relative to the component K1 is         determined for each recording of the partial images and     -   the image information is determined from the partial images and         the displacements.         This means that the subdivision of the X-ray image recording         results in imaging with stochastic phase scanning.

It has proved to be advantageous if the X-ray emitter has, as a first component, an X-ray tube and an absorption grating permanently attached thereto for generating the quasi-coherent X-ray beam.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the partial exposure times of the n partial images are selected such that the relative movement distance of the components is smaller than the grating period.

Advantageously the relative movement distance of the displacement of the components during a partial exposure time can be small compared to the grating period of one of the gratings.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the size of the displacement, the displacement distance, between the components K1 and K2 during a complete X-ray image recording is a grating period.

It has proved to be advantageous if the position of the component K2 relative to the component K1 is determined for each recording of the partial images by calculating the displacement distances of the displacements and the reference phases from a selected set of pixels and the measured intensity values thereof.

According to an embodiment of the invention the X-ray image detector can have a frame rate f of at least f=1/t_(k).

Advantageously the intensities of partial recordings at a position of the interference pattern can be determined by:

I _(k) =I(x) where x=(s _(k) −s _(ref))modulo p ₀.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the image information can be information about absorption, phase and/or dark field.

The relative lateral displacement of the components K1 and K2 can according to the invention have a linear, sinusoidal and/or continuous movement path.

An embodiment of the inventive method can be expanded if at least three components move relative to one another, of which the intensity values, displacement distances of the displacements, and reference phases are determined.

It has proved to be advantageous if the position determination, from displacements with a displacement distance, and reference phases are determined using function minimization.

Alternatively position determination can take place by means of an optical measurement.

Based on FIG. 3 the circumstances in the inventive method are now explained in more detail. The structure of the Talbot-Lau apparatus is essentially the same as in FIG. 2. However, the size of the examination object 15 in the beam path of the Talbot-Lau apparatus, the X-ray beam 13, is such that there are regions on the X-ray image detector 4 in the beam path that are uncovered, at which the so-called free field can therefore be measured. These regions may for example lie at the edges or corners. This is indicated by the interspaces 23 between the peripheral rays of the X-ray beam 13 and the examination object 15, in which the X-rays are not influenced and deflected.

Furthermore, the X-ray emitter 3 with its tube focus 12 and the absorption grating 14 (G₀) are permanently connected to one another to form a first component K1. Likewise the phase grating 19 (G₁), the analyzer grating 20 (G₂) and the X-ray image detector 4 are fixedly attached to one another as a second component K2.

Instead of the phase stepping 22, the lateral displacement merely of the analyzer grating 19 (G₂) in several steps by a corresponding fraction of the grating constants perpendicular to the radiation direction of the X-ray beam 13 and lateral to the arrangement of the grating structure, the components K1 and K2 are now moved relative to one another, their displacement 24 being represented by an arrow. The displacement 24 can take place continuously and have a linear, sinusoidal and/or continuous path. This displacement 24 would, in the case of just one X-ray image recording, result in the interference pattern 20 being blurred or smudged during phase stepping, so that the desired image information is lost.

With this arrangement an X-ray image recording is first taken in a starting position of the components K1 and K2, called a reference position R, with free fields, from which phase and intensity of the intensity pattern or interference pattern 20 (fringe pattern) are determined. After relative lateral displacements 24 between the components K1 and K2, in which a plurality of partial recordings or partial images T_(n) are generated, the average intensity and visibility altered in each pixel are determined.

To enable an intensity value measured in a partial recording to be associated with the fringe pattern or interference pattern 20, the position of the component K2 relative to the component K1 must be known for each partial recording. This position determination can take place for example by means of an optical measurement or by means of the displacement measurement described in the parallel application.

An embodiment of the inventive Talbot-Lau apparatus consequently has at least two per se fixed components K1 (12, 14) and K2 (4, 18, 19), which can move relative to one another. For example, X-ray tube or X-ray emitter 3 and the absorption grating 14 (G₀) form the component K1, and the phase grating 18 (G₁), the analyzer grating 19 (G₂) and the X-ray image detector 4 form the component K2. These two components K1 and K2 are displaced laterally relative to one another during an X-ray image recording. This displacement 24 can take place with a linear movement with a starting point SA, an end point SE and a length S=SE−SA; the movement of the displacement 24 can however also be sinusoidal or can have another continuous path.

Because of the movement during the recording time the intensity pattern or interference pattern 20 (fringe pattern) of the phase stepping curve is smudged for each pixel element, or possibly even completely smoothed. Therefore the X-ray image recording inventively takes place on a subdivided basis in accordance with the method of stochastic phase scanning in n partial images T_(n), so that the total exposure time t_(ges) is made up of a sum of partial exposure times t₁ to t_(n).

The number of partial recordings should be relatively large, approx. n>20, so that for each pixel many different phase positions with displacement distances sk are implemented in the partial images T_(n).

During a partial exposure time t_(k) the path of the relative movement or the relative movement distance Δs_(k)=s_(k+1)−s_(k) of the components K1 and K2 must be small compared to the grating period p₀. In the present example the following applies for the period p₀ of the absorption grating 14 (G₀):

t _(k) <Tp ₀ /S.

This means that the X-ray image detector 4 should permit a frame rate f of at least f=1/t_(k).

In a partial recording k an intensity I_(k) is measured, which corresponds to the intensity at a position x of the interference pattern 20:

I _(k) =I(x) where x=(s _(k) −s _(ref))modulo p ₀.

So that an intensity value measured in a partial recording can be associated with the fringe pattern or interference pattern 20, the position of the component K2 relative to the component K1 must be known for each partial recording. This position determination can for example take place by way of an optical measurement.

However, the displacement measurement described in the parallel application can also be used, in which the object 6 in the X-ray beam 13 as well as the X-ray recording system 3, 4, 19 and 21 are aligned to one another such that regions 23 in the X-ray beam 13 are uncovered for measurement of a free field. In a starting or reference position of a relative lateral displacement 24 of the components K1 and K2 a reference image with free fields is recorded, from the pixels (i, j) of which phase Φ₀(i, j; R) and intensity I₀(i, j; R) of the interference pattern 20 are determined. During a subsequent X-ray image recording with n partial images the components K1 and K2 are moved relative to one another with the lateral displacement 24 by displacement distances s_(k) and in each of the partial images the intensity is determined in each pixel. The position of the component K2 relative to the component K1 for each partial recording is determined in that the displacement distances s_(k) of the displacements 24 and the reference phases Φ(i, j; R) are calculated from a selected set of pixels and the measured intensity values thereof. The image information is determined from the partial images, the displacements 24 and the reference phases Φ(i, j; R).

The displacement distances s_(k) of the phase positions are therefore not known initially. From the n partial images T_(n) the average intensity for each pixel can be approximated as

${I_{0}\left( {i,j} \right)} = {\frac{1}{n}{\sum_{k = 1}^{n}{I\left( {i,{j;s_{k}}} \right)}}}$

and the visibility as

${V\left( {i,j} \right)} = {\left( {\sqrt{2}/{I_{0}\left( {i,j} \right)}} \right){\sqrt{\frac{1}{n}{\sum_{k = 1}^{n}\left( {{I\left( {i,{j;s_{k}}} \right)} - {I_{0}\left( {i,j} \right)}} \right)^{2}}}.}}$

The reference phases Φ(i, j; R) and the displacement distances s_(k) are now still to be determined.

The measured n intensity values I(i, j; s_(k)) of a pixel element (i, j) are correlated with the measured intensity values of every other pixel element, because they have arisen as a result of the same set of displacement distances s_(k). The displacement distances s_(k) and the reference phases Φ(i, j; R) can be determined from a selected set of pixels (e.g. two pixels or more) and the intensity values I(i, j; s_(k)) thereof. As an example with two pixel elements—indicated as 1 and 2—and twenty displacements 24, twenty-two parameters are determined from forty measured values, e.g. by minimizing the function F(Φ(1; R), Φ(2; R), s_(k)) where

${F\left( {{\Phi \left( {1;R} \right)},{\Phi \left( {2;R} \right)},s_{k}} \right)} = {\sum_{k = 1}^{n}{\begin{pmatrix} {{I\left( {1,k} \right)} - {{I_{0}(1)}\left( {1 + {{V(1)}{\cos \left( {{\Phi \left( {1;R} \right)} + {2\pi \; {s_{k}/p_{0}}}} \right)}}} \right)} +} \\ {{I\left( {2,k} \right)} - {{I_{0}(2)}\left( {1 + {{V(2)}{\cos \left( {{\Phi \left( {2;R} \right)} + {2\pi \; {s_{k}/p_{0}}}} \right)}}} \right)}} \end{pmatrix}.}}$

By taking account of each pixel in one or more sets of selected pixels, the reference phase can be determined for all pixels. The errors in the determined values can be reduced by iteration and by a different selection of pixel sets.

In a partial recording a data point is accordingly measured in the interference pattern 20 for each pixel element. Because of the displacement 24 of the component K2 relative to the component K1 the total interference pattern 20 is scanned using the total set of partial recordings, so that thereby the three items of image information—absorption, phase and dark field—can be determined.

The lateral displacement 24 between the component K1 and the component K2 enables the interference pattern 20 to be scanned. Thus active phase stepping 20 with a piezo-stepper is no longer required.

The necessary minimum movement and the optimum movement length or displacement distance between the components K1 and K2 during a total X-ray image recording is approximately the grating period p₀.

The necessary measurement of the relative lateral distance between two components K1 and K2, the internal components of which are fixed in respect of one another, can take place in the inventive stochastic phase scanning by means of X-ray phase contrast imaging using a Talbot-Lau apparatus with an optical interferometer, or a method for displacement measurement can be used, which as described above is dealt with in the parallel application.

Instead of the lateral displacement 24 between the two components K1 and K2 the principle described can also be applied to more movable components and can be generalized.

The patent claims filed with the application are formulation proposals without prejudice for obtaining more extensive patent protection. The applicant reserves the right to claim even further combinations of features previously disclosed only in the description and/or drawings.

The example embodiment or each example embodiment should not be understood as a restriction of the invention. Rather, numerous variations and modifications are possible in the context of the present disclosure, in particular those variants and combinations which can be inferred by the person skilled in the art with regard to achieving the object for example by combination or modification of individual features or elements or method steps that are described in connection with the general or specific part of the description and are contained in the claims and/or the drawings, and, by way of combinable features, lead to a new subject matter or to new method steps or sequences of method steps, including insofar as they concern production, testing and operating methods.

References back that are used in dependent claims indicate the further embodiment of the subject matter of the main claim by way of the features of the respective dependent claim; they should not be understood as dispensing with obtaining independent protection of the subject matter for the combinations of features in the referred-back dependent claims. Furthermore, with regard to interpreting the claims, where a feature is concretized in more specific detail in a subordinate claim, it should be assumed that such a restriction is not present in the respective preceding claims.

Since the subject matter of the dependent claims in relation to the prior art on the priority date may form separate and independent inventions, the applicant reserves the right to make them the subject matter of independent claims or divisional declarations. They may furthermore also contain independent inventions which have a configuration that is independent of the subject matters of the preceding dependent claims.

Further, elements and/or features of different example embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of this disclosure and appended claims.

Still further, any one of the above-described and other example features of the present invention may be embodied in the form of an apparatus, method, system, computer program, tangible computer readable medium and tangible computer program product. For example, of the aforementioned methods may be embodied in the form of a system or device, including, but not limited to, any of the structure for performing the methodology illustrated in the drawings.

Even further, any of the aforementioned methods may be embodied in the form of a program. The program may be stored on a tangible computer readable medium and is adapted to perform any one of the aforementioned methods when run on a computer device (a device including a processor). Thus, the tangible storage medium or tangible computer readable medium, is adapted to store information and is adapted to interact with a data processing facility or computer device to execute the program of any of the above mentioned embodiments and/or to perform the method of any of the above mentioned embodiments.

The tangible computer readable medium or tangible storage medium may be a built-in medium installed inside a computer device main body or a removable tangible medium arranged so that it can be separated from the computer device main body. Examples of the built-in tangible medium include, but are not limited to, rewriteable non-volatile memories, such as ROMs and flash memories, and hard disks. Examples of the removable tangible medium include, but are not limited to, optical storage media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magneto-optical storage media, such as MOs; magnetism storage media, including but not limited to floppy disks (trademark), cassette tapes, and removable hard disks; media with a built-in rewriteable non-volatile memory, including but not limited to memory cards; and media with a built-in ROM, including but not limited to ROM cassettes; etc. Furthermore, various information regarding stored images, for example, property information, may be stored in any other form, or it may be provided in other ways.

Although the invention has been illustrated and described in greater detail by the preferred example embodiment, the invention is not restricted by the disclosed examples and other variations can be derived therefrom by the person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for examining an object with an X-ray recording system for phase contrast imaging including at least one X-ray emitter for generating a quasi-coherent X-ray beam as a first component, an X-ray image detector including pixel elements arranged in a matrix, a diffraction or phase grating arranged between the object and the X-ray image detector, and an analyzer grating associated with the phase grating for generating an intensity pattern or interference pattern, at least two of the X-ray image detector, phase grating and analyzer grating being fixedly connected to one another and form a second component, the method comprising: moving the components, during an X-ray image recording the components, relative to one another with the lateral displacement by displacement distances; generating the X-ray image recording during the displacement from n partial images, such that a total exposure time of the X-ray image recording is made up of a sum of partial exposure times; determining, in each of the partial images, an intensity in each pixel; determining a position of the second component relative to the first component for each recording of the partial images; and determining image information from the partial images and the displacements.
 2. The examination method of claim 1, wherein, as a first component, the X-ray emitter includes an X-ray tube and an absorption grating permanently connected to the X-ray tube for generating the quasi-coherent X-ray beam.
 3. The examination method of claim 1, wherein the partial exposure times of the n partial images are selected such that the relative movement distance of the first and second components is relatively smaller than the grating period.
 4. The examination method of claim 1, wherein the relative movement distance of the displacement of the first and second components, during a partial exposure time is relatively small compared to the grating period of one of the gratings.
 5. The examination method of claim 1, wherein the displacement distance of the first and second components during a total X-ray image recording is a grating period.
 6. The examination method of claim 1, wherein the position of the second component, relative to the first component, is determined for each recording of the partial images by calculating the displacement distances of the displacements and the reference phases from a selected set of pixels and the measured intensity values of the selected set of pixels.
 7. The examination method of claim 1, wherein the X-ray image detector has a frame rate f of at least f=1/t_(k) wherein t_(k) is a partial exposure time.
 8. The examination method of claim 1, wherein the intensities (I_(k)) of k partial recordings at a position x of the interference pattern is determined by: I _(k) =I(x) where x=(s _(k) −s _(ref))modulo p ₀.
 9. The examination method of claim 1, wherein the image information is information about at least one of absorption, phase and dark field.
 10. The examination method of claim 1, wherein the relative lateral displacement of the first and second components has at least one of a linear, sinusoidal and continuous movement path.
 11. The examination method of claim 1, wherein at least three components move relative to one another, of which intensity values, displacement distances of the displacements and reference phases are determined.
 12. The examination method of claim 1, wherein the position determination, from displacements with a displacement distance, and reference phases are determined using function minimization
 13. The examination method of claim 1, wherein the position determination takes place by way of an optical measurement.
 14. The examination method of claim 2, wherein the partial exposure times of the n partial images are selected such that the relative movement distance of the first and second components is relatively smaller than the grating period.
 15. The examination method of claim 2, wherein the relative movement distance of the displacement of the first and second components, during a partial exposure time is relatively small compared to the grating period of one of the gratings.
 16. The examination method of claim 2, wherein the displacement distance of the first and second components during a total X-ray image recording is a grating period.
 17. The examination method of claim 2, wherein the position of the second component, relative to the first component, is determined for each recording of the partial images by calculating the displacement distances of the displacements and the reference phases from a selected set of pixels and the measured intensity values of the selected set of pixels.
 18. The examination method of claim 2, wherein the relative lateral displacement of the first and second components has at least one of a linear, sinusoidal and continuous movement path.
 19. The examination method of claim 2, wherein at least three components move relative to one another, of which intensity values, displacement distances of the displacements and reference phases are determined.
 20. The examination method of claim 2, wherein the position determination, from displacements with a displacement distance, and reference phases are determined using function minimization 